Health Care Professionals

About Ontario’s Narcotics Strategy

The abuse and misuse of prescription narcotics and other controlled substance medications is a serious public health and safety issue in Ontario. A growing number of people are addicted to these drugs, using them outside their intended medical purposes, including unlawful activities and some dying as a result of this improper use.

Ontario’s Narcotics Strategy was developed to address these significant issues. This comprehensive strategy is:

promoting the proper use of prescription narcotics and other controlled substance medications

working to reduce drug abuse and addiction among Ontarians, and

ensuring that people who need narcotics and other controlled substances for appropriate medical use will continue to have access to these medications.

The five key elements of the strategy includes:

new legislation to support the development of a narcotics monitoring database.

partnering with the health care sector to educate on appropriate prescribing.

partnering with the health care sector to educate on appropriate dispensing.

education to prevent excessive use of prescription narcotics.

treatment of addictions.

As part of the strategy, the Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, 2010 and its regulation will support the collection, analysis and reporting on the prescribing and dispensing of prescription narcotics and other controlled substances (“monitored drugs”) in Ontario. The Act and regulation came into force on November 1, 2011.

Learn more about the collection, use and disclosure of this information.

See the list of frequently asked questions with answers for health care providers on the new requirements for prescribing and dispensing monitored drugs.

The Narcotics Monitoring System has also been developed to collect and store information on prescribing and dispensing activities for these medications. The information collected by the monitoring system will be used for improving prescribing and dispensing practices and stopping the use of prescription drugs for improper purposes.

Other initiatives underway include:

supporting education programs for health care providers in areas of the province where greater problems exist,

exploring opportunities to provide additional support for the treatment of addiction. A number of substance abuse treatment programs, including withdrawal management, community counseling and residential treatment and support services are available across Ontario. Learn more >>